Predicting Love
by XxAnarchyStockingFangirlxX
Summary: After a prediction in Divination, Harry's view on his know-it-all friend changes. Harry/Hermione, Ron/Luna, slight Draco/Ginny
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: **__This is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fanfiction with actual chapters. And I'm reading the series for the first time, and I'm just starting book 5...So please be nice with reviews! :) Plus, I'm completelyl ignoring all the "canon" pairings Rowling came up with, because I prefer my ships much more :p Now enough of my chittering, let's get on to the fanfic!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. They all belong to the ever so talented J.K. Rowling._

It was the first day back to Hogwarts. Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall for the Sorting of the first year students. Everyone was in a good mood, since it was the perfect day to be welcomed back into Hogwart's doors. Well, some students weren't so excited. One of them was Ron; he had been whining quietly for the past ten minutes about how hungry he was and how much he wanted to feast to start right now, so Hermione glared at Ron and firmly smacked his hand. "Ron," she had whispered/scolded, "we'll eat soon enough, be patient! A lot of higher year students didn't complain when _we _were sorted five years ago!" Ron pouted. Harry chuckled.

"Ron, don't think about how hungry you are right now; that'll make you even hungrier," Harry advised his best friend as he pushed his glasses back in place after cleaning them. "Just try to think of how many Griffyndors we may get. Try thinking of beating in Malfoy's face this year. Try thinking of anything else but food or hunger."

Ron groaned slightly but nodded. He slightly smirked at the thought of beating up Malfoy. Hey, it was kind of helping him forget about his hunger! He grinned and kept imagining it. Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled a little, shaking her head at her friend's silliness.

The Trio put their attention back onto the Sorting ceremony, and they all remembered their nervousness of being the ones who were awaiting their final House decision. The first girl, a heavy (but she had a pretty face) girl with red hair and green eyes, sat down and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. She looked nervous while the Hat was thinking. Harry tried to stifle his laughter; she and Dudley would make the perfect heavy couple! Well, maybe if she wasn't a wizard...unless she shared his love of his favourite foods. Harry shook his head and grinned anyway.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat bellowed. The girl looked slightly disappointed, but it quickly disappeared when she saw the way Hufflepuff cheered her on with open arms. She quickly made her way over to them and sat down.

The sorting went on for a while longer, since more young wizards and witches came this year.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Each first year went to their designated House tables, grinning as widely as a little kid unwrapping their favourite toy on Christmas morning. Once the Sorting was done, Dumbledore stood up, his eyes twinkling as they always did. He smiled.

"On behalf of all the faculty and students, we welcome all of you first year witches and wizards to our beloved Hogwarts!" he boomed cheerily, starting to clap. Then everyone but the first years clapped, welcoming the new arrivals. Well, everyone except first years and Snape clapped, though Snape did a slow, dull clap, one you might give after trying to be "nice" to someone who just gave a boring lecture or report or speech.

Dumbledore exchanged more merry words amongst the Great Hall, and before everyone knew it, it was time for the feast. The food appeared and everyone quickly took their shares, since that long ceremony always made everyone famished. Ron was eating barbarically, and Hermione scoffed in disgust. "Ron!" she'd said, "don't eat like a pig!"

Ron looked up. "Thorry, 'mione, thi' foo' ith goof!" he said through a full mouth, making Hermione look even more disgusted. Harry smiled at Hermione.

"You think that's bad? Try watching my cousin Dudley eat. Ron's eating looks like fine dining compared to how Dudley eats!" he said, chuckling and shaking his head.

Ginny grinned. "And Ron is _nothing _like Fred and George when they're in a rush," she told Hermione. Ron heard their conversations and turned pink to the ears in embarrassment. He swallowed his mouth full of food and pouted again.

"I'm not _that _messy of an eater!" he whined. Ginny laughed.

Everyone ate their food, and when they were all done, Professor McGonagall came by and gave each student their schedules. Harry looked at his. His first class was Divination (_again!_), and he scanned his other classes. Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, double Potions on Friday (Harry shuddered; two periods straight of Snape. That can drive anyone madE), Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a couple of other classes. Hermione had the same classes as Harry, minus Divination, and so did Ron, but with Divination. The only class Ginny shared with the Trio was Care of Magical Creatures, and that was it.

More formalities went on in the Great Hall, then it was time to head to the Common Rooms for each house. The Gryffindors went to the portrait of the Fat Lady, got the new password (but poor Neville Longbottom would probably forget by morning), and went inside to chat for a while and celebrate the new year. They shared many congratulations with the first years who didn't know what to make of all this excitement. "Where's the bathroom?" one scrawny little boy asked. Someone pointed the way and the boy dashed to the bathroom.

The Trio (and Ginny) were sitting by the fire and talking, excited about what this year may bring. Hermione grinned broadly.

"My goal for this year is to get more members to join and get involved in S.P.E.W.!" she beamed. Ron and Harry both groaned. Not this again. Hermione looked quite offended at their negative responses.

"Hermione, how many times does _everyone _have to tell you, _house-elves _like _to work for people for free?" _Ron sighed. Hermione frowned.

"Because the elves are brainwashed, that's why they don't find anything wrong in it all!" she spat back. Ron facepalmed, and Hermione let out a small "hmph!" and stuck her nose in the air like a posh muggle would do.

Harry chuckled a little at Hermione's stubbornness. "I think I'm going to head up to bed, you guys," he told them, getting up and heading for the boys' dormitories. Ron saluted him off, Ginny said a simple "good-night!", and Hermione smiled, hugging him quickly. "Glad we're all back here again this year safe and sound! Good-night, Harry!"

Harry smiled and went up the stairs and got into bed after he changed into his pyjamas. He stared at the ceiling for a little while, excited fot a new year full of Hogsmead, Quidditch, hanging out with Hagrid, and who knows what other exciting things were in store. He yawned and finally fell asleep.

_**Author's Note: **__Yeah, not much Harmony action in this chapter, forgive me. But hey, we can't just rush everything in one chapter now, can we? You don't just dive into romance, you gotta wait a chapter or two to start any mentions of romance! Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: **__Updating with the second chapter, and *le gasp!* it's updated without uploading the first chapter! Oh well! I like doing things in bulk, soooooooo, that's why I'm updating right away. I'm in such a Harry Potter and Lenore mood. Must...resist...urge...to...read...my...Lenore books! *gasps for air* Oh! And I've not read the fifth book just yet, but it's staring at me, wanting me to read it. So if I don't get Luna's personality quite right, please tell me on how I can improve. Hopefully I can read book 5 soon without distractions and I can pick up more on how she acts. But I do know she's an odd one, that Loony Lovegood!_

_I'm an odd waffle. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter! And if I misspell any teacher's name in any chapter, please tell me!_

_xoxoxox_

The next day, after breakfast, Harry and Ron made their way up the stairs for their first Divination class of the year. "What sort of death omens do you think Trelawney will give you this year?" Ron asked, trying to hold back his laughter. Harry grinned and shrugged.

"Probably attacked by non-magical gofers, my glasses catch on fire, I choke on a tiny bite of chocolate frogs...you know, the usual!" he answered nonchalantly. He and Ron started to laugh quietly, not wanting so much attention on them.

Ginny had joined Ron and Harry. She was irritated by how serious Lavender and Parvati took Divination. Ginny shook her head at their seriousness. It was all muggle-gypsy mumbo jumbo. Nobody could predict the future through crystal balls! Real future seeing can be done with visions when you least expect them, not when you're trying to hunt them down in tea leaves or crystal balls. Ginny took amusement in hearing the jokes Ron and Harry had about Divination. Like them, she hated that class, but it was still fun to take to see that crazy lady always act like a headless chicken.

The three of them made their way into the classroom and took their seats. Ron sat next to Harry, of course, the two gullible girls (that's what Ginny called them), Lavender and Parvati, took a seat together, and Ginny sat with Luna. The blonde girl turned her head to her friend and smiled gently, with her usual odd charm. "Why, hello, my dear friend Ginny."

Ginny smiled back and nodded in acknowledgement. "Hey Luna. Are you excited for a new year at Hogwarts?"

Luna nodded blankly and smiled. She played with her new necklace made out of chocolate frog cards. Ginny giggled quietly at her odd friend.

After about ten minutes of inaction, Professor Trelawney finally arrived in class in style (or, everyone guessed, _her _way of style), making the candle lights extinguish themselves, and she appeared in glowing purple smoke that made Ron blink twice and squint because he thought the purple was just too...neon (is that what the muggles called really bright colours?) to look at. Lavender and Parvati squealed in excitement as the once purple smoke changed into a dark red colour, and finally, light pink. Once the smoke and light show was over, Professor Trelawney stepped out of the clouds and reignited the candles with a snap of her fingers. She turned to the smoke and muttered a few words to herself, and made them disappear with her wand. She finally put her wand away once the smoke was gone, and she turned to her class. Some first-to-Divination students were slightly trembling in surprise and fear a little at the entrance. They acted as if Trelawney were Snape.

Trelawney looked at all her students through her glasses and then smiled. "Hullo, class! It's so great to see you all signed up for Divination again! And I see some students here for the first time! I welcome you!" She walked up and down the aisles, going on and on about how Divination didn't show you your future-the universe only told it to you! Blah blah blah, this course material isn't hocus pocus or trickery, blah blah blah, take it seriously, blah blah blah. Ron, Harry, and Ginny didn't particularly listen to Trelawney's spacey speech that they heard every year. Ron looked at Harry and made a quiet, fake, snoring imitation. Harry chuckled.

With a clap of her hands, Trelawney beamed to her class once she was back to the front of the classroom. She was grinning. "Well, I was going to save this lesson for tomorrow or next week, but I was told by the stars that I should teach it to you all today!"

Harry blinked. No death omen for him today? He was beginning to like this year already. He kept listening to Professor Trelawney ramble on.

"Valentine's Day, as you all know, isn't for another few months," Trelawney kept saying, pacing the floor in the front of the room. "But why wait for that day to fall in love with someone who isn't made for you, just because they give you chocolate frogs or flowers?

"This class today is all about finding your true love," she continued. The boys groaned, and the girls who bought soulmate and Divination stuff squealed with excitement. Trelawney didn't seem to hear the groaning, but beamed even more when she heard the excitement coming from all of the girls except Ginny and Luna. "I can see you're excited! Excellent! Now, I'm going to show you all the procedure of how to find out who your true love is! Then once I show you, you will each work in partners, trying to find out who your partner's true love is! Now, hold on one second!"

Trelawney retreated to the closet near the back of the classroom, and reemerged about three minutes later with, guess what?, another crystal ball. She carried it to the front of the room and set it down on her table. The colours inside were swirling a pale pink colour, the girls noticed happily. Trelawney smiled to them all. "This is the _Ball of Eros_! Given to us by the Greek god of love (yes, for those of you who thought the Greek gods were just stories muggles made up centuries ago, the Greek gods were real, but didn't do AS much as muggles thought!) many years ago, this crystal ball allows someone to see the person they were made for!

"One cannot simply find their true love on their own with this! No, someone else must help them! So I am going to show you all that today! I need a volunteer! Anyone? Anyone at all?" All of the girls (again, except for Ginny and Luna) raised their hands anxiously, begging to be picked on. Trelawney's eyes swept the classroom in deep thought, then her eyes rested on Harry. Harry shrunk in his seat and gulped. He had a bad feeling she would pick him. Trelawney's eyes sparkled and eyed Harry. "You, Harry! I call so many bad prophecies on you, let's try to make fun prophecies for once! Come on, come up here! Don't be shy!"

Ron gave Harry a sympathetic look. Harry stood up and walked to the front of the classroom, looking unhappy about being called upon. He sat on the seat opposite of Professor Trelawney and looked into the pink swirls. He sighed internally as Trelawney talked again. "Now, young Potter, we shall see who your true love is!" she bellowed. All of the girls who fell for the matchmaking stuff all crossed their fingers, hoping that one of them would be Harry's true love. Everyone wanted a piece of The Boy Who Lived. Ginny rolled her eyes. She was glad she was over Harry and didn't look as ridiculous as the rest of the class did no.

Harry shrugged. "Let's get this over with then."

Trelawney nodded. "Excellent! Now everyone, pay close attention so you can get this exercise right!" She looked to Harry. "Put your hands on the glass," she instructed him. Harry sighed mentally again and did as he was told. Trelawney grinned again. "Now concentrate, Harry." Harry concentrated. He knew this was stupid, but part of him was intrigued about who the ball would pick. As Trelawney sat down opposite of him and said some words (Harry didn't particularly listen to her entirely) and moved her hands over the top of the crystal ball. It was still pink, so Harry concentrated harder. Who would the _Ball of Eros _pick to be his true love? He slightly hoped it was Cho Chang. He had slowly gotten over her, but he still had a small sliver of hope. Or maybe it would pick Ginny? Parvati? He kept wondering. What if it's Pansy Parkinson? He shuddered at the idea. He noticed the crystal ball begin to turn a deep ruby red. All of the girls in the class oooohed and ahhhhhed. Harry gulped a bit. Why should he be nervous? This class was all fake stuff anyway!

"Ah, it's coming," Professor Trelawney said calmly. Harry still felt nervous and he mentally scolded himself for worrying. An image slowly started forming inside the crystal ball. All the girls (and a few interested boys) tried to catch a glimpse, but it was blurry to them. As Harry looked harder, the image finally became clear. His eyes widened. Trelawney smiled. "Who is it, dear? Who did Eros tell you is your one true love?"

Harry gulped. He was surprised to say the least. Unexpected, that's for sure. He took a deep breath. "My true love is...Hermione Granger."

_**Author's Note: **__Well! Hopefully that chapter went well! If you don't know your mythology well, Eros is the Greek (the ORIGINAL) god of love, but the Romans "stole" their mythology and renamed Eros as Cupid. So that's why I didn't use Cupid. I really need to read book five. I need some Luna action! Anyways...ahem. I hope I didn't skip Harry too much. Even though this is a Harry/Hermione story, I don't want the focus to be solely on Harry. Give some other characters love too! I hope you enjoyed! Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **__wow, again with updating and not uploading the first two chapters? *Le gasp!* Am I a madwoman? ...nahhh, I just can't stop writing once I start! Can't wait for Christmas...teehee! On with the story!_

Everyone was working with the person sitting next to them the rest of class. Everyone wanted to see who the crystal ball chose for them. Trelawney went up and down rows, examining progress. "Good," she'd say, "good." Harry and Ron were working together, but Harry had a hard time focusing. Had that crystal ball really chosen Hermione? His best friend besides Ron? He was so confused. He wasn't disgusted or mad, but merely just...surprised he got Hermione. Ron looked at Harry and frowned. "Hey, Harry, I still see pink swirlies in the crystal ball. It's not working!"

Harry sighed. "I don't know Ron...just, concentrate harder. Tell me what you see."

"If I concentrate harder, my head may explode," he groaned. He still tried. He blinked. "Hey, I got something! I can't tell for sure, but I'm making out blonde hair..."

"Hello, Ronald," came a dreamy voice from behind Ron. Ron jumped and looked up at Luna.

"Oh! Luna! Geez, you scared me," he breathed, putting a hand on his heart. He groaned. "Geez, I thought I was getting an image of my true love!"

Luna seemed unaffected, but she kept smiling. She put her hands on top of Ron's and guided them. "Ronald, your hands aren't placed correctly. Move them_ here_. There you go. Now concentrate again." She smiled. Ron gaped. "I see something happening now! Keep chanting, Harry!" Harry nodded and kept chanting as Luna smiled again and skipped back to Ginny.

"Well?" Harry asked, looking at Ron. "What did it show? Who's your supposed soulmate?"

Ron gaped. "This crystal ball must be broken. I'm seeing Loony Lovegood..." he said quietly in disbelief. Harry grinned.

"I knew you two were meant to be!" he teased. Ron turned pink and grumbled to himself. Luna must have just gone and got the same result because she looked over at Ron with a half-dreamlike, half-blank smile and tilted her head to the sight a bit. Ron turned scarlet. Ginny didn't get a chance to go because the class was over.

"Now students, don't forget to write an essay on the history of this magical device!" Professor Trelawney called out as the class left the room and descended down the stairs. Harry was still shocked that the crystal ball chose _Hermione _to be his soulmate! Maybe Ron was right; maybe the thing was broken. He was surprised that he wasn't more appalled that his best female friend was chosen. Why wasn't he more shocked or upset or whatever? And Ron was still dazed, sputtering stupidly.

"I-I can't believe that thing chose Loony Lovegood! I mean, she's pretty and all, but she's well...Loony!" he stated spacily. Luna, as if on cue, skipped up beside Ron and smiled up at him.

"Hullo, Ronald. I respect your privacy and all, but I'm curious as to who your soulmate is?" she said sweetly.

Ron turned beet red, obviously feeling awkward about all of this. He stammered a bit then grabbed his things closer to him. "I uh...have to go to the bathroom, see you Harry and Loon-err, Luna!" he said quickly, then took off. Luna frowned and looked at Harry.

"What's wrong with Ronald?" she asked Harry who just sighed and shook his head.

"It's a personal thing for him..." Harry said simply.

"Oh. I see..." she trailed off, shrugging. "Well, it was nice meeting up with you again, Harry. Going to my own class now, good-bye." She smiled and skipped off to her next class. Harry sighed again and went outside to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. He was early, he knew that, but he didn't quite care. The whole way, he kept thinking. Was his soulmate really Hermione? His _best friend _Hermione Granger? He wasn't sure whether to be excited or awkward or whatever. He was too busy thinking, he didn't see Hagrid tending to whatever magical creatures they were to take care of, and he bumped into Hagrid's back and fell backwards. "Whoops..."

Hagrid turned around quickly. "Oh, Harry! Are yeh okay? I'm sorry," he said quickly, helping Harry back to his feet. "What are yeh doing here so early? There's still ten minutes 'til class 't yeh with yer friends by now?" He looked around then back at Harry who was fixing his glasses.

Harry nodded. "I'm fine. I didn't want to socialize during exchanging break. I've had some personal things on my mind. Hermione's probably reading a book on the way here, making sure she doesn't trip or anything, so she's probably coming slowly. Ron is...I don't know, but I saw him five minutes ago." He looked at the small creatures Hagrid had been tending to. "What are those things?" he asked curiously.

Hagrid, as usual, beamed and turned his attention back on the creatures. They were small (babies, Harry guessed), and they had the mbody and mane of a strong horse with the head of a bull. Hagrid grinned. "These little critters are Bonnacons. These ones are babies, not too dangerous yet. These little fellas are okay until yeh scare 'em. If they become threatened, they have a skunk-like attack. It would run away if attacked, leaving behind a trail of fire dung that could set fire to trees, shrubs, or anyone who was foolish enough to come closer to it. Not a pretty sight," he answered. Harry mentally snickered. _'Wow, almost like my Uncle Vernon when he eats Mexcian food.' _

Minutes ticked away and finally the full class was in attendance. Hermione greeted Ron and Harry with a sweet smile and put a book away. Figures. Hagrid went on again about the Bonnacons, and Draco groaned. "Ugly creatures that have fire turds. Oooh, so scary!" he said, loud enough so only Harry and his friends could hear. Harry glared and Draco just smirked.

Harry scowled even more. "Malfoy, if you hate this class so much, why are you still taking it?"

"I like to make fun of the big oaf, and I love doing it and making you angry," he replied coolly with a sneer.

"Look, why don't you-!" Ron started.

"Stay out of this, Weasley."

"Malfoy, just shut up," Hermione said, glaring at Draco.

"Mudblood, you don't tell me what to do," he smirked, shrugging. "I'll do as I please."

The Trio gave Draco one last glare and then they paid attention to Hagrid again. Hagrid paired the group into threes, which worked perfectly for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Each group was given a Bonnacon to take care of for two months until it grew to atual size, then they could be released back into their natural habitat.

Hermione beamed at their Bonnacon and grinned. "He's so cute!" she said. Ron made a face that said 'Bleh!', and that made Hermione glare at Ron. Harry looked at the creature. He had to admit with Hermione, it was cute. Well, to Harry, the thing was so ugly it was cute.

The class went by fast-well, fast for Harry since he liked this class. Each group rounded up their Bonnacons and lead them back into their stalls for the rest of the day. Draco yawned as everyone left. "That was a dreadful waste of time," he drawled.

Harry ignored Draco and his Goonies. Hermione shook her head at them. "He has no respect whatsoever, does he?" she muttered to herself. She looked at Harry. "Harry, are you okay? You're not yourself today. Something the matter?"

Harry looked up quickly and blushed slightly, going stupid for a moment and thinking Hermione could hear his thoughts. "Oh! No. I just have a lot going on in my head right now. Hey, you and Ron go ahead, I'll catch up with you guys in a few minutes."

Hermione looked like she wanted to say something but didn't. She turned and she and Ron went to their next class together. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pretty confused. _'Stupid Divination...'_

_**A/n: Sorry for the short chapter. Mehhh, I didn't want to put TOO much in yet. And by the way, Bonnacons are a "real" (not LITERALLY) mythical creature. Look it up~**_

_**Review please!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/n: **__Another chapter of Predicting Love! Thanks for the reviews, you guys! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! There's snow outside and I want to play in it, but...writing is so much fun...oh well. I'll just write! *smiles* Time to cuddle up in a blanket, type, and listen to some Nox Arcana on Pandora radio! _

_Oh, and btw, as I stated in the first chapter, I'm ignoring anything "canon." Mostly the "canon" pairings, but I'm also ignoring the fact that Sirius dies. So in case you've wondered while reading._

_**Disclaimer: **__*sigh* HP doesn't belong to me, but to J.K. Rowling. But I own Harry Potter in my mind and you can't sue for that! Haha! Oh, and I do own the storyline here. And I own Mikhail._

A few weeks went by and it was a few days before Halloween. Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall, dining on their food. Over the past few weeks, Hermione had noticed Harry's strange behaviour whenever she was near him outside of the Great Hall. When she would say 'Hello,' Harry blushed, nodded in reply, then scurried off to find Ron or scurried off just to get away from her. Ron would always play dumb at Hermione's questions or ignore them completely. Frankly, she was sick of it. She wanted straight answers. She shook her head, ignoring the feelings. She didn't like being ignored. Ron was no problem, since Ron usually ignored her or Harry whenever he had one of his Weasley hissy-fits that he would get over pretty quickly; but _Harry? _Being ignored by him made Hermione feel...depressed, actually. She told herself not to think too much into it. Once everyone finished their meals, Dumbledore stood up, his eyes twinkling as usual. He put his hands together and smiled at everyone.

"We all know Halloween is a few mere days away. It has been suggested and accepted that we do a new custom this year for the holiday," he started, smiling even more. "So some of the students have come up with the idea of having a Halloween Ball this year."

Cheers (and some groans) erupted throughout the Hall, even though it was mostly from girls. Dumbledore continued on, "I realize you are all excited. Just remember, this Ball is quite a privilege to have. You all have worked very hard this year so far, so this will be just the thing to relieve your stress. You all are welcomed to be accompanied by a date." He smiled and girls were squealing even more and some guys were smiling, hoping to get lucky. "The Ball will be this Halloween, starting roughly at 7:30! There will be an area staged outside for this very event, and we all hope it will be to your liking!"

With that, Dumbledore clapped his hands together and sat back down. Every student was buzzing as they exited the Great Hall to their Common Rooms.

"Can you believe it, you two?" Hermione beamed at Harry and Ron. "A ball for Halloween! This will be exciting!"

Ron groaned. "It'll be just like the Yule Ball, but also not. A ball is a ball." He shrugged. Hermione frowned at him disapprovingly, obviously still upset from the events of the first Yule Ball, when she attended with Krum. Even though Ron admitted he wasn't jealous of Krum because he liked Hermione himself and that he was jealous because of all people, _she _got asked, Hermione was still mad about all of the fighting from that night.

"Who are you going to ask?" Hermione asked the both of them.

"Well, it's still _early..._" Ron started. Hermione's glare scolded him and he held up his hands in defense. "I'm _not _waiting until last minute this time! I'm just trying to think right now!" Hermione seemed satisfied and turned to Harry who simply blushed and shrugged, not looking at her.

"Maybe I'll go with Cho," he replied nonchalantly.

The Trio went to the portrait of the Fat Lady and gave the password (_"Lemony-tails"_ ), and went inside to relax a bit in the Common Room beside the fire. Harry thought for a while. He thought about the Ball, about Sirius, and most of all, _Divination. _He groaned, shaking his head. Ron looked at his friend.

"What's wrong, Harry?" he asked. Harry just offered a half-smile, knowing Ron probably had a clue. But he didn't, as usual. He stood up.

"I think I'm going to go write to Sirius," he told Ron and Hermione before heading to the Boy's dorms. Hermione frowned and followed him before he got there. Placing a hand gently on his shoulder, she turned him. She looked concerned.

"Harry," she said, "what's wrong? You really seem different since the first day back. Well, you seem different towards me...Harry, if there's anything at all wrong or on your mind, you can tell me. We're friends, you know that. You can talk to me about anything."

Harry hesitated for a moment then shook his head. "No, Hermione. It's too complicated to talk about. I'm sorry." He took her hand off of him gently and went up to the dorms. He took out his quill and some parchment and began writing.

_Sirius, _

_I'm sorry I haven't replied to you for a while, but I've just been having a lot going on in my mind. Here at Hogwarts, we're having the first ever Halloween Ball. That's not what's clogging my thoughts. You see, on my first day back in Divination class, Professor Trelawney started the year with the lesson of "finding your soulmate" through the "magic" of the Ball of Eros. Well, I was Trelawney's guinea pig (go figure, right?), and the Ball of Eros had shown me that my soulmate was, well, my best friend Hermione. I'm still stunned over that and I'm not sure what to do or think. Was that Ball of Eros thing a cheap toy? Was it an old gag? Was it broken? Was it fake? I mean, I've never once thought about Hermione in _that _way. Well, I admit, I have every now and then, but briefly. And I want a date for the Ball, but I don't know if I want to ask Hermione. I think what I'll do is I'll ask Cho Chang. If I don't like it, well then, I'll know I screwed up by not asking Hermione. Or...I don't know. I'm just so confused. _

_Say hello to Buckbeak for me._

_Harry_

Harry put the letter under his pillow, seeing as how he was too tired to go up to the owlery right now, and closed his eyes.

The next morning, Harry rushed to the Owlery and got Hedwig. He stroked her beak gently and she gently nipped his finger in return. He tied his letter to Sirius to her leg and told her where to go. Hedwig hooted in reply and took off. Harry was late for breakfast, so he figured he should go on ahead to Divination. Once inside of the class, he took his seat, thankful that Trelwaney hadn't shown up yet. He laid his head on his desk for a few minutes until he heard someone come in and then poke him gently. He looked up and saw Ron looking sheepish. Harry smiled a little.

"Ron, I hope you're not asking _me _to the Halloween Ball," he joked. Ron rolled his eyes and grinned, then feigned sadness.

"Oh, Harry!" he said in the most feminine voice he could, clutching onto the area of his chest where his heart was. "You've gone and broken my bloody heart! My dreams are crushed!" He faked crying, then Harry laughed, hitting him lightly. "Shut up, Ron."

Ron laughed and sat in his usual spot next to Harry. "Have you asked anyone yet?" he asked Harry who just shook his head. Ron nodded. "Ah."

"Have you?" Harry asked. Ron turned even more pink.

"I'm thinking of asking her today," he replied. Harry smiled and nodded.

Pretty soon, the class piled in and took their seats. Trelawney came in last, smiling. She told the class their lesson for today. "You will be palm reading," she told them all. Then she explained how it worked, then ordered everyone to start working.

Ron took Harry's hand and groaned. He tried doing it correctly, the palm reading, but he just couldn't. "Remind me again why we've taken this class _again._" Harry laughed and shrugged. He saw Trelawney coming by. "Make something up, she's coming," Harry whispered and Ron nodded. "Oh, Harry!" he said in his high-pitched voice again. "You are going to be quite a womanizer in the future!" he squealed, waving around Harry's hand dramatically. Trelawney frowned, nodded in approvement, then went on over to another group. Harry took Ron's hand now and just made things up as he went. "Well, you're going to be rich and your family will buy a beach house in Muggle Malibu!" he said, grinning.

When they had finished, Ron looked around and saw Ginny's group was finished as well. Ginny and Luna were talking about the Ball and what kind of outfit they'd wear. Ron blushed and looked at Harry. "I err, will be right back," he said quickly, leaving to go to his sister's table.

The girls stopped talking and looked at Ron.

"Hey Ron," Ginny smiled.

"Hello, Ronald," Luna said, grinning. "What brings you over to our table? Besides your feet of course."

Ron gulped slightly and blushed more. "Err, umm...Luna Lovegood?"

Luna blinked.

Ron bowed valiantly and blushed even more (How was that possible? Harry was stumped at how that could happen). "Miss Luna Lovegood, would you go with me, Sir Ronald Weasley, to the Halloween Ball?"

Luna stared at Ron then smiled. "Of course, Ronald! I would be delighted to!" Ron stood.

"Great!" he exclaimed. He hugged Luna, who looked very slightly flustered at the gesture. Then he let go and dashed back over to Harry. "I've got a date!" he exclaimed, grinning widely. Harry laughed.

"I know, I saw. I think I'll ask Cho during lunch."

After class, everyone headed to their next class. Ginny smiled at Luna. "It must be destiny, Luna!" she exclaimed. Luna smiled and nodded. They went on the way to their next class. At the same time, Blaise and Draco were walking the opposite way of the girls.

"I know you hate her, mate, but aren't you still surprised Pansy turned you down just because some rich seventh year Hufflepuff bought her expensive things and was nice to her?" Blaise asked Draco as they walked.

Draco shrugged. "I don't care in the slightest. Blaise, Pansy will get with _anyone _who gives her luxuries. I'm pretty sure if the Dark Lord bought Pansy the entire world and jewelry and stuff, she would latch onto him in a split second." Blaise shuddered at the thought. Without realizing it, he and Draco bumped into two girls. Each person fell slightly backwards and were stunned. Draco groaned. "Watch where you girls are-" he stopped when he noticed the red hair. He smirked when he realized it was the little Weasley girl. He stood up and kept smirking. Blaise frowned and helped himself and Luna up. "Sorry," he mumbled to Luna and Ginny.

"Well if it isn't Loony and Weaslette!" Draco drawled, crossing his arms, his smirk never once leaving his face. Ginny turned slightly pink and frowned slightly.

"Sod off, Malfoy," she said, turning even more pink and running down the hall to her next class. Luna shrugged and followed her. Draco rolled his eyes and he and Blaise kept walking.

"You know, mate," Blaise commented, "I don't think that Weasley girl has ever flushed like that in front of anyone but Potter." Draco stopped in his tracks.

"What are you saying...?" he asked slowly.

"I'm just saying. She used to have that look for Potter all the time. Her legendary crush on him. Then she got over her crush and she hasn't looked at any guy the same way. Well, any guy but _you._"

"So you're saying...?"

"Am I not being clear enough, Draco?" Blaise replied, irritated. "I'm saying that she's giving you the same lovestruck gaze she used to give Potter. I always noticed it whenever we were in the Great Hall eating. You wouldn't know because your back was to her, but I've noticed it, mate. And besides, now you have a shot at her like you used to talk so much about..."

Draco frowned slightly. "Me? Interested in a_ Weasley? _Have you gone nuts, Blaise?!"

"It's true and you know it," Blaise said simply, before turning into his class and leaving Draco alone to grumble and blush to himself.

After lunch, Harry held his breath and went over to Cho's table. She was talking with several Ravenclaw girls in her year and laughing with them. She looked up when she noticed Harry. She smiled at him. "Hey, Harry."

"Hey, Cho. I'm just wondering if you'd go to the Halloween Ball with me?" he asked sheepishly. Cho frowned.

"Oh, I'm sorry Harry," she said apologetically. "But I'm going with Neville."

Harry's face fell slightly. "Oh, okay. Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you." He turned and went back to Gryffindor's table. He supposed he was going to go without a date. He was certainly not taking Parvati again. Parvati didn't seem right to him. He looked at Hermione who was grinning.

"Hey, Hermione. Did you get asked by anyone?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry, I have!" she said excitedly. "I was asked by Mikhail Reznikov, that seventh year Hufflepuff!" She was grinning ear to ear and began chatting excitedly about him for the rest of lunch. But Harry wasn't listening. He was slightly jealous and didn't feel like eating anymore. He excused himself and went back to the Common Room for the remainder of lunch until his next class.

_**A/n: **__Why yes! Mikhail asked out BOTH Hermione and Pansy! *starts singing "Womanizer" by Britney Spears* Poor Harry can't get a break! :'D Unless he asks a first year, which would be AWWWKWARDDDD. Press "Review". You know you want to!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/n: **__TWO UPDATES IN ONE DAY? *gasp* Even I'm surprised. I had to get my arse in gear to get motivation to write the second chapter for today. I'm so sleepy, as I haven't slept a good night while on Christmas break. *shrug* Oh well! On to the chapter!_

_**Disclaimer: **__*sigh* do I really need to keep being reminded that I don't own the wonderful world of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling does? _

Harry woke up in the middle in the night by the feeling of something on top of him. He opened his eyes and saw Hedwig staring at him with her gorgeous eyes. Harry yawned. "Hello, Hedwig," he greeted the owl, untying his letter from her leg then patting her gently on the head. If owls could smile, Hedwig would probably be grinning like a lunatic. Harry put his glasses on and got out his wand. He decided to go to the Common Room so as not to wake anyone up while he read. He sleepily walked down the stairs and made way to the fireplace, sitting close to it and looking down at his letter he got back from Sirius.

_Harry,_

_I did tell Buckbeak you said hello. Anyway, I'm glad to hear back from you. Any longer and I would have thought something might have happened to you and I would have to come find you myself. I did some research on the Ball of Eros, and it can be concluded that they are not fakes and they never break unless you smash them to pieces. When you saw Hermione in that ball, you were seeing your true love, even if you weren't aware you harboured such feelings. I also know it works because when I was in your year in Divination, your father was my partner in that exercise and the ball chose Lily, your mother. And lo and behold, look what happened. Coincidence? I think not. Besides, several other classmates of mine, their soulmate was the real deal and they all got married as well. Harry, do what you think is right. You obviously love Hermione deep down. Just let her know some way or another. I hope you have a great year still, and remember you can talk to me anytime you want._

_Sirius_

Great, now what? The stupid crystal ball _was _the real deal! It showed his parents they were meant for each other, for Merlin's sake! But Harry still didn't want to believe it. He knew Sirius would never lie to him, but he just didn't want to believe it. He had to admit, he certainly had to admit he was jealous of Krum during his fourth year. And he wasn't completely..._appalled _when the _Daily Prophet _proclaimed he and Hermione were a couple, even though they weren't.

He shook his head in annoyance and went back up to his dorm and got back in bed. Why couldn't things ever be easy?

It was breakfast time on Halloween. The classes were not going to happen today so students could take all day if they needed to to get ready for the Ball for that evening. Everyone was chatting excitedly about tonight. Harry just picked at his food glumly. "Hey, Harry, have you asked anyone yet?" Ron asked him. Harry shook his head.

"No. Cho's going with Neville, and the Patil twins are already taken. No other girl is available." His frown got a big bigger. He glanced at Hermione briefly, but she was oblivious and talking to other girls about going with Mikhail. Obviously she was happy.

"Who are you going with, Gin?" Hermione asked Ginny. Ginny blushed a deep pink, almost red. She glanced at the Slytherin table and Draco smirked back at her. Looking back down at her food, she mumbled "Draco Malfoy."

The Trio was stunned, as was everyone who was sitting in hearing range. Ginny slumped lower into her seat and kept blushing in embarrassment. Ron was fuming. "Malfoy! Ginny!" he said angrily. "Malfoy's dangerous! He could be using you! He could hurt you! He could-"

"Ron," Hermione scolded, "while I don't approve of Ginny's attending the ball with Malfoy, don't you realize that Ginny's old enough to take care of herself? Isn't she old enough to make her own decisions?"

Ron glared at Hermione but didn't say another word. Ginny sighed and looked at Hermione. "Do you think we should start getting ready?" she asked her. Hermione nodded ecstatically and grinned. "I am! Let's go, Ginny." The two girls headed upstairs to the Gryffindor Common Room then to their dorms to get started. Many girls were already there getting ready.

Harry sighed. "I guess I'll be _that guy _that shows up without a date..."

Thinking of something to say that could possibly cheer up Harry, Ron looked around. "Well, you could always ask Moaning Myrtle!" he said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Harry glared. "Now's not the time for jokes, Ron. I'm not in the mood." Ron frowned at Harry's stubborn attitude.

"Why don't you go with some fourth year or something?" Ron asked. Harry's frown suggested otherwise. Ron threw his hands up in the air. "You're difficult, Harry! If you won't listen to me, excuse me; I'll be up in the dorms taking a nap before the dance!" Ron stormed out of the Great Hall.

Harry frowned. Couldn't he do _anything _right anymore?

It was finally time for the Ball. The designated area outside was a giant building that looked luxurious on the inside. It looked like a gorgeous mansion. The walls and ceiling on the inside were made of one-sided glass so you could get a perfect view of the night outside and the stars and the full moon. On lower levels of the building were many candles and lamps and strung lights hanging from the banisters. There were two giant glass chandeliers in the middle of the ceiling, all alight with fire that danced on the chandeliers' crystals. The floor was made of black marble that seemed to glow orange from all of the lights above. The stairs that led from the entrance downstairs to the main floor were made of an even darker black. There were two levels, and the top level had a balcony so couples could step outside for some air if needed to. There were tables situated everywhere off to the side so as not to get in the way of the dance floor. To top it all off, there were banners of each of the four Houses hanging off the bottoms of the top floor, and a band in the corner that would play any music you would like. If you got bored of the music, you could just use your wand and change the band into some group like the Weird Sisters, or some other muggle band (not like they would actually be there in person, though. It was a simulation to give off the appearance that the bands were really there).

Harry had come early, wearing a nice suit. Several of the other singles (mostly least popular nerds) had shown up early as well, chatting about Quidditch. Interested, Harry walked over to the nerdy group. They talked about Quidditch for such a long time. More and more people started coming in, each person dazzled by the display. Harry watched the people coming in. He saw Neville and Cho, Dean and Parvati, Seamus and Padma (probably last result as well), and many other couples. Once seeing his friend Ron come in, he excused himself from the Quidditch group and went over to Ron and Luna. He smiled. "Hi, Ron!"

Ron grinned back and Luna had latched onto his arm gently, leaning her head admiringly on his shoulder. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she was wearing a short dress that stopped a couple of inches before her knees. The bottom was frilly, and the top was strapless. The dress and her gloves were black, but the tips were orange. "To celebrate Halloween," Luna explained, looking at her colour scheme. She was also wearing pumpkin earrings and a necklace of a small, fake skull. Luna smiled to her date and her other friend. "Who did you come with, Harry?" she asked, smiling warmly again.

"No one," Harry admitted, shrugging it off. Luna looked at him with sympathy. "Poor Harry." Harry shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Want to dance?" Ron asked Luna. She nodded and grinned, taking his hand as he led her off to join the other couples in dancing. Harry watched them and chuckled at the odd couple's dancing. He looked off to the side and saw Pansy Parkinson sitting glumly in the corner, going off about how she hated that seventh year Hufflepuff, Mikhail, for dumping her for "that mudblood!" Harry frowned at Pansy's annoying behaviour. He could now see why Draco hated her-she was even more of a brat than he was. Well, maybe she wasn't as much _all _the time...

Speaking of the devil, Draco came in with a blushing but grinning Ginny. They were both wearing green. Draco's suit was a dark, almost black, green. Ginny's hair was styled the way it had been for the Yule ball from a couple of years ago, and her dress was floor-length; it was a rich shade of green that had two straps that tied together in the back against her neck. Her gloves were just ones that covered her hands, and they were a snow white colour. Draco smirked at Ron who still seemed to be mad about Draco asking his little sister to the Halloween Ball.

Becoming bored, Harry went over to the refreshment table and got himself a butterbeer. As he drank it, he noticed one last couple coming in. It was _her. _Hermione looked happy. Harry tried to contain himself (and tried to keep his butterbeer from spewing out of his mouth in surprise) as he took the sight of her in. Her hair was done elaborately with slight curls on the ends. She was wearing dark red lipstick and pale blue eye shadow. Her dress-Merlin, her _dress-_showed off the top part of her body's curves. It had no straps, and some cleavage was definitely visible. The lower part of her body, the dress went off into unique ruffles. Harry always liked the colour of gold, but Hermione's gold dress was even more spectacular. He bit his lip as he glanced at her face again, and he caught himself blushing. He felt a pang of jealousy when he saw her date, Mikhail. Harry glared at him. His brown hair was slicked back to the side, he had a slight trace of a moustache, and his eyes were piercing blue. Harry hated him for being...well, he looked cheap. Like a slick car salesman back in the muggle world.

But wait, what? Harry was jealous? What in Merlin's name? Hermione was his best friend! In no way was he going to fall for some class exercise. For all he knew, maybe Sirius was just messing with him and trying to freak him out more. But still...

His eyes swept over Hermione again, and he gulped and tried to act cool as he saw Mikhail and Hermione coming his way. "Oh! Harry!" Hermione said, smiling and running over to hug him. Harry felt his blood rush to his cheeks as he felt her closeness. She pulled away and kept smiling at him.

"Harry, this is my date, Mikhail. Mikhail, Harry." Hermione grinned. The two young men shook each other's hands, but none too happy about it.

"Hermione, you look...you look beautiful," Harry commented quietly. Hermione blushed a little. "Thank you..."

"Let's dance," Mikhail said as he took Hermione's hand.

Harry watched from the corner as everyone was having a good time. Ron and Luna were doing some weird dance (Harry decided to call it the _Runa dance_), Draco and Ginny looked breathtaking and perfect together, and Hermione seemed happy with Mikhail. Harry frowned after a while, feeling left out, so he decided to go up the stairs and out onto the balcony.

How long he was looking up into the sky, Harry didn't know. It was probably a good two hours. He was feeling a little better until close by, he heard Hermione having an argument with...Mikhail? Harry listened closely.

"No, Mikhail. I'm not going to do that."

"Come on, Hermione!"

"I said no!"

"Dammit, Granger. It's just a one time shag!"

"No Mikhail! Unlike other girls, I don't open my legs just by being flattered! You want a shag? Go fetch yourself Pansy Parkinson! I'm not doing it with you!"

"You will!"

He grabbed her and Hermione started to scream, but Mikhail covered her mouth with his hand. He started dragging her off to a different room, but Harry dashed back inside immediately to stop him. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Mikhail.

"Locomotor Mortis," he whispered, so as not to be caught yet. Mikhail growled in anger as his legs became harder to use. He tried hopping to stay up, but since he was holding Hermione, he fell forward. Harry came over and glared at Mikhail as he got Hermione out of his grasp. Harry squatted down and scowled at Mikhail who merely spit at him. "Now, Reznikov," he said icily, narrowing his eyes. "Don't you _ever_ mess with Hermione again! If a girl doesn't want to sleep with you, then you need to respect that, you arse. Hermione is such a sweet girl. Don't you dare take advantage of girls like her. It gets you nowhere in life." He stood up and cast a sleeping spell on Mikhail then turned back to Hermione. Hermione was tearing up from fear of almost being raped, and from joy that Harry came to save her.

"Harry, I don't know how to thank you eno-" Her words were cut short when Harry came closer. He looked into her eyes. "Hermione..." he whispered. Hermione blushed. Without thinking, Harry's lips crashed against Hermione's. Her eyes widened. She didn't dislike the kiss at all, but she remained frozen in shock. Harry pulled away almost as quickly as he kissed her, then he quickly ran down the stairs and then back outside and left, going back inside of Hogwarts for the night.

"I know he didn't come here with a date, but man, what a _Drama Queen!" _Cho said, scowling distastefully.

_**A/n: **__Ahahaha, I'm evil. Our poor Harry! Well, I'm off to watch some movies! The Review button don't press itself you know!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: **__I do NOT own Harry Potter. HP belongs to J.K. Rowling. Lucky lady..._

_**Quick reminder: **__This is their sixth year, but an AU. (I've yet to read HBP :p) _

It had been three weeks since Harry had kissed Hermione. It was too awkward being around her afterwards. Harry had tried his best for the past few weeks to avoid Hermione, despite sharing a few classes with her. Ron had tried talking to Harry about it, but he wouldn't listen. Ron simply wouldn't understand. And ever since then, Hermione had her nose in the books even more than normal, which was unusual even for her. It'd be accurate to say that neither she nor Harry had a peaceful night's sleep in three weeks. They were both unsure of how to react. Harry cursed Divination. If it weren't for that class, his feelings for Hermione wouldn't have appeared after suppressing them in first year. If he hadn't taken that class, he wouldn't have found out Hermione was meant for him, and he'd still be spending time with her and Ron.

But the poor boy was still confused as could be. His feelings for Hermione...did he really still feel that way? Or did he feel like he should be obliged to fall for her and kiss her because of the Ball of Eros? He was so confused.

He was at the Quidditch field, chasing after the Snitch after he released it, obviously practicing catching it quicker. Or something. He just needed a distraction from all of this. Luckily there was no class today.

He saw the streak of gold fly past him and he buzzed off, speeding up to it and not letting it out of his sight. He quickly turned his broom upwards towards the sky, following the Snitch's changed direction. He was almost there, and reached his hand upward. In no time at all, he had grabbed the Snitch and descended to the ground again. He locked up the Snitch and took back off in the air again, just for the sake of flying again.

His flying was cut short when he caught sight of bushy brown hair blowing in the slight wind. He tried to ignore it, but the call "Harry" made him stop and turn to facce her. Hermione. Her face was a cross between exhaustion and worry. Harry sighed and landed back on the ground, still avoiding looking at her.

"Harry, talk to me, please," Hermione begged, putting a hand on his shoulder pleadingly. Harry froze, his back still to her.

"I'm sorry I kissed you. I-I shouldn't have done it..." he muttered.

"Harry, it's fine. I'm just worried about you. I haven't seen you in weeks. I thought something terrible might've happene-"

"I was fine," Harry said loudly, turning to face Hermione now. "I just found it awkward, what happened to us! And I'm sorry I kissed you, since you obviously didn't want it I'm sure...!"

"Harry!" Hermione interrupted. Harry shut up and looked at Hermione with tired green eyes. "Look, while I agree that it was indeed awkward, it's no need for you to feel so worried. This is no easier for me, but just...ugh...I don't know, Harry."

Harry was speechless, not from surprise, but from confusion as to what to say to her.

"What made you...kiss me?" Hermione finally asked, breaking the odd silence.

"I...I don't know what came over me. I just...saw you were going to be taken advantage of, and...again, I don't know..."

"Harry, I thank you so much for helping me, but I'm still unsure of why you kissed me..."

Harry bit his lip. He wanted to tell Hermione about what he saw in Divination, but he knew for sure Hermione would probably scold him for believing in such poppycock and she would be angry at him for kissing her because he felt he had to just for the sake of some magical item that was probably tankered with to mess with someone.

"Because I...I...I've liked you since first year," he admitted quickly but quietly, mostly to himself.

"Harry..." Hermione was at a loss for words. She hugged him unexpectantly. Harry blushed and pulled away a bit. Hermione looked up in confusion.

"Hermione, if you don't like me, it's fine...you don't have to hug me."

"Harry, I _do _like you. How much, I don't know for sure yet. I've always saw you as a very close friend and nothing more, but I admit there is potential here. I just need some time to think things through."

Harry smiled weakly and returned Hermione's hug. Thunder rumbled ahead. Hermione groaned. "Oh, bother. We'd better run back inside before the rain comes," Hermione sighed.

"Or what? You'll _melt_?" Harry asked, grinning. Hermione giggled.

"Wizard of Oz reference, Harry?"

"Yes indeed. You've seen it too?"

"Of course! What Muggle family hasn't? Now let's run before we both melt!" She laughed and Harry joined in as more thunder rumbled. They ran close to each other into the castle grounds, still laughing as they just barely missed the downpour of rain.

Harry caught his breath and smiled at Hermione, taking in her laughing form. He cleared his throat and smiled. "I think it's time we go into the Great Hall for dinner now."

Hermione nodded, still smiling, and took his hand as the two of them headed off to the Great Hall.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/n:**__ I would have updated sooner but you know, Senior year isn't easy, and other fandoms such as Lenore have kidnapped me for a while to enjoy in their awesomeness. Oh and art. Art has been taking a lot of time too._

_**Disclaimer: **__If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction, now would I?_

The next morning, it was the weekend. _Hogsmeade _weekend. Even though they've been going there every weekend since third year, the Trio was still excited about going. The three of them got their own carriage and they chatted the whole way to Hogsmeade. Ron grinned at Harry and Hermione. Thank Merlin they were talking again. Of course they were a bit awkward near each other still, but it wasn't so thick. He beamed at them, sitting across from them.

"So what should we do in Hogsmeade first?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron and then Harry.

"Hmm...maybe we could grab some Butterbeers in the Three Broomsticks," Harry suggested. Ron looked at the two of them sheepishly. Harry raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Ron?"

Ron turned pink slightly and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well...me and Luna are spending today together in Hogsmeade, so it looks like it's just you two."

Hermione sighed. "_Honestly, _Ron! We're not going to scold you because you want to spend the day with your girlfriend! It's only natural you'd want to. We're happy for you two."

"Really?" Ron asked, still seeming nervous. Hermione rolled her eyes and Ron fidgeted again in his seat. Harry laughed.

"Ron, we won't ban you from our friendship because you'd rather spend time with Luna," he said, smiling. "We'll just ask Neville or someone to join us instead." Ron nodded, looking relieved.

"Thanks you two," he said, grinning. The carriage finally stopped and Ron opened the door and jumped out first. He took a deep breath. "Aaaah, Hogsmeade! How I've missed you so!"

"It's been only a week, Ron," Hermione chastised. "Really. Don't be so dramatic!" Ron stuck his tongue out at her and went over to Luna who was waving at him and grinning. He kissed her on the head and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked into Hogsmeade.

Harry caught sight of Neville, then waved him over. Neville grinned and walked over. "Hey Harry. Hermione," he acknowledged. "What's up?"

"Neville, want to spend the day with me and Harry?" Hermione asked. "We just thought you'd like to since you usually just hop onto random groups every visit."

Neville pinkened at that last part, probably from embarrassment, but nodded. "Sure. Thanks, you guys. Where are we off to first?"

"How about we get some butterbeers?" Harry offered. Neville nodded and so the three of them went to the Three Broomsticks. It was a pretty slow day for the business, since the place wasn't super crowded as it usually was. They took a seat in the corner and a waitress came.

"Three butterbeers please," Hermione said nicely to the waitress. She was new no doubt, but she nodded and scurried off to give them their drinks. Neville looked at Harry and Hermione, debating with himself. Then he finally spoke up.

"So are you guys..." he started, scratching his head briefly. "You know...official?" he finished. The butterbeers came and they thanked the waitress. Harry and Hermione looked back at Neville.

"Beg pardon?" Hermione asked, taking a sip.

"You know...are you two _boyfriend/girlfriend _yet?" Neville explained.

Harry and Hermione both blushed, then Harry shook his head. "No. But we've decided to take things slowly as friends, and we're going to see how it goes from there. If there's something stronger there then, well, we'll go out together."

"Oh. I see," Neville nodded, drinking. "Well, basically everyone's been wondering. Everyone's always seen the chemistry there between you two, so they just thought..."

"No, Neville," Hermione giggled. "There _is _potential for Harry and I, but we still need to take it slowly."

The rest of the time in the Three Broomsticks, the three of them conversed about a variety of subjects. There was laughing, seriousness, and the occasional pinkening of faces. Afterwards, the three of them left the pub and walked in the streets.

"Oh Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "A bookstore! It must be new!" She stopped and looked in the window of the store. Harry smiled and joined Hermione. On the inside, there were many books on display as well as several bookshelves full of books. Only Hermione would be this excited about a bookstore.

"Want to look around inside?" Neville asked Hermione, taking the hint. Hermione beamed at him and nodded eagerly. Quicker than a blink of an eye, Hermione was already inside of the store. Harry and Neville exchanged glances and shrugged, going in after Hermione went in. Hermione was in the history section, Harry was looking at Quidditch books, and Neville was browing the herbology section.

Hermione picked out some books and looked at them. "Wow, I didn't know that!" she would exclaim every now and then. She looked through one very large book and her eyes widened at the knowledge she was obtaining from it. "Goodness! This is...I've never known _this _much!" She flipped it over to view the price and her face fell. It cost more galleons than she had on her. She sighed, running her hand over the book's cover.

Harry took notice and walked over to her. "What is it, 'Mione?" he asked. Hermione shook her head, clutching the book tighter.

"Oh Harry, this book is wonderful, but...but it costs three-hundred galleons!" she explained, sighing again.

Harry was quiet for a few minutes, in deep thinking. Then he looked at Hermione. "Do you really like that book?"

"Yes, but it's fine, Harry. Don't worry," she replied, putting the book back. But Harry's hand stopped her. She blinked and looked at him.

"I'll buy it for you if you want it," Harry replied calmly, smiling at her. Hermione gasped and shook her head.

"Oh! Oh _no, _Harry!" she protested. "I would never ask you to do that! I don't want you to spend money on me! Especially not three-hundred galleons!"

"Hermione, I have _plenty _of money still in my vault. 300 galleons is hardly a drop in the bucket," Harry chuckled, letting go of her hand.

"No, Harry. I couldn't..."

"Hermione. Please let me buy that book for you."

"Harry..."

"I won't take 'no' for an answer, Hermione. I'm doing it because I want to."

"Well..."

Harry smiled at her warmly. "It's fine, Hermione. No big deal." He picked the book back off of the shelf and took it up to the counter and paid for it. Shortly after, he returned to Hermione, handing her the book. Hermione hesitantly took it then smiled at him. She hugged Harry.

"Oh thank you, Harry!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Harry felt his face heat up until she let go.

"It's nothing," he replied, still blushing.

Hermione looked around. "Hey, where's Neville?" she asked, bewildered. Harry looked around with her until he caught sight of the outside of the store. A flustered Neville was talking with a very giggly Pansy Parkinson. She held his hand and they walked off.

"This year is so surprising," Harry chuckled, shaking his hand. Hermione nodded, amazed. She then giggled.

"Neville and Pansy? I did _not _see that coming!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah. Let's go and find something else to do." Harry smiled at Hermione and led her out of the bookstore.

It was almost time for the students to go back to Hogwarts. Ron and Luna came back with Harry and Hermione before it was time to load up and go. Ron's eyes were wide.

"Neville and _Parkinson!?" _he exclaimed, looking like a fish out of water. "Bloody hell!"

"Language," Hermione warned.

"I was almost expecting it," Luna replied calmly. "They had become slowly interested since this year started." She shrugged and leaned her head on Ron's shoulder.

"I can't wait to head back to Hogwarts and read my Quidditch book," Harry said, grinning. Since Harry bought Hermione the book she wanted, Hermione waited for Harry to find Ron and Luna to get ready to go, and she went back into the bookstore really quickly and bought Harry the book he was looking at earlier with such interest. Thankfully it was affordable. She surprised him with it when the three of them returned, and Harry was beyond ecstatic.

"Now where's my sister?" Ron mumbled to himself, looking around. "I don't want her stuck here in Hogsmeade while everyone else is back in the castle!"

"I think that's her over there," Luna replied, pointing to a random corner of the street. Sure enough, there was Ginny. And she was snogging Malfoy. Ron became enraged and ran over to her and Draco's snog session.

"Ginny! We're ready to go and here you are, _snogging Malfoy!?"_ he demanded. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"We were almost done, geez," she mumbled. Ron's glare turned to Draco who merely smirked.

"If I can't snog your sister in public, then you shouldn't snog Lovegood in public either," he replied. Ron turned even more red then sputtered stupidly.

"Just! Come on to the carriages before they leave without you two," he spat, turning around and storming back to the group.

When it was time to get in, the four of them got into their carriage, the boys helping the girls. Luna leaned against Ron, reading an old _Quibbler_ and smiled. Ron looked out the window. Harry kept looking at Hermione who was already reading her book. He put an arm around her shoulder. "You're welcome, 'mione," he muttered, kissing her head. Hermione blushed.

"And thank you, Harry."


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/n: **__I'm so sorry it took so long to update! My laptop got a virus two weeks ago and it took a week to get fixed. And I didn't go on it until I got an updated antivirus program. Fuck Best Buy. Plus, I've been sleeping all day and been on a third shift schedule XD Plus, I've lost inspiration for this story, but I've gotten it back. I'm so sorry it took so long._

_**Disclaimer: **__If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't keep typing these things. The world of Harry Potter belongs to the magnificent J.K.R._

More weeks passed by. While Harry and Hermione were getting closer, they still were not romantically together. Harry was patient with Hermione, but her hesitance was quite unnerving. Was Hermione secretly ashamed of being with him all the time? Was there someone else? No, the prediction that she was his soulmate was clear. If she wasn't his, the prediction would have shown him someone else.

During McGonnagall's class, Hermione looked over at Harry and bit her lip. When the professor had her back turned, she nudged him. Said boy looked down at Hermione curiously. Hermione blushed.

"Meet me after class," she whispered, and Harry just nodded.

Class was over quickly and Hermione pulled Harry aside, away from students who would most likely hear. She cleared her throat and looked at him.

"Harry, I'm sorry I haven't given you an answer yet to your asking me out," she started, but Harry stopped her.

"It's alright Hermione. It's understandable. I guess it would just seem weird for us to be best friends for years and then all of a sudden-"

"Yes."

"Huh?" Harry looked at Hermione and blinked, scratching his head. "Yes...?"

"Yes," Hermione restated, "I will be your girlfriend, Harry."

The bushy haired girl smiled at him with a smile that could brighten up the darkest room. Harry exhaled in relief and hugged Hermione tightly, twirling her around in his arms before putting her down. The happiness was overwhelming for Harry.

"I'm so happy, Hermione," he said, grinning widely. "I never thought I'd love someone and be loved in return. I guess _this _is what all the talk and excitement is about. Being loved by someone romantically is such a wonderful feeling!"

Hermione smiled and patted Harry's shoulder. "I know. I thought I would feel something for Krum back in fourth year, but it was purely infatuation. Poor sap still won't stop sending me love letters." She looked up at Harry and blushed, smiling. "But Harry, I really do love you; I realise that now."

Harry sighed happily and stroked Hermione's hair. "I have always loved you Hermione."

"And I you, Harry."

The whole school was abuzz about how Harry and Hermione ("Harmony," they dubbed it) _finally _got together and it was now official. Harry and Hermione were shocked that people were basically expecting it after all these years.

"I guess we had more obvious chemistry than we thought," Harry muttered to Hermione in the Common Room later that night.

"It appears so," Hermione smile, reading up on tomorrow's Potions lesson. Harry watched her and smiled, then went over to Ron to play some Wizard Chess.

"So Ron," he asked after the first round, "how are things going with Luna?"

"Bloody amazing, Harry," Ron replied, grinning widely. "She is so wonderful. Even though she is still nonsensical, she's just such a bright girl and she makes me feel wonderful everytime we are together." He sighed happily. "I think I'll propose to her on the last day of her Hogwarts year. She'll be delighted!"

"That's wonderful, Ron," Harry said with a smile. "Want to play again?"

"You know it!" Ron said as he readjusted the chessboard, and the two played for a couple more hours before they both went up to the dormitories for bed, and Hermione went to hers.

Harry tried sleeping, but it was no use. He decided to write a letter to Sirius to send right away in the morning.

"Lumos," he muttered, then got his parchment and quill out of his bedside drawer. He closed his curtains around his bed and began writing.

_Sirius,_

_I have wonderful news! I'm finally together with Hermione! This may be a short letter, but I just felt like telling you. I'm so excited. She's the best person in the world, and no one has made me feel this amazing before. I meant romantically of course! You and my friends make me feel wonderful too, but, in a different way. Oh boy I'm already ranting. Anyway, I should end the letter right here. _

_-Harry_

Harry smiled and put his quill and note away into his drawer and turned out his wand light, then finallly settled in for a long night's sleep with dreams about Hermione.

_**A/n: **__Ahaha, newest chapter, and sorry it's so lame XP I'll try to write better next chapter. Reviews would be wonderful. _

_Oh! I'm stuck on a story idea and I would like your help. It is a Snape/Lily story._

_I have made a Snape and Lily lovechild that I plan to write about, but how she is conceived stumps me. Should perhaps Snape and Lily have a little..."fun" before the Mudblood incident, and Lily has the child in secret and give it to someone to raise? Or should the other way be that their love for each other really was strong enough that old magic took place, in which Love really DOES take true form? Like, she was born as soon as Lily was killed (crazy, I know, but...whatever)? Let me know! And please no Snily bashing. I love the pairing like crazy. Thank you!_


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